ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M User Manual
Copyright Notice:
No part of this installation guide may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or translated in any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of documentation
by the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of ASRock Inc.
Products and corporate names appearing in this guide may or may not be registered
trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
Disclaimer:
Specications and information contained in this guide are furnished for informational use
only and subject to change without notice, and should not be constructed as a commitment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions that may
appear in this guide.
With respect to the contents of this guide, ASRock does not provide warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties or condi-
tions of merchantability or tness for a particular purpose. In no event shall ASRock, its
directors, ofcers, employees, or agents be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, or
consequential damages (including damages for loss of prots, loss of business, loss of
data, interruption of business and the like), even if ASRock has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any defect or error in the guide or product.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
CALIFORNIA, USA ONLY
The Lithium battery adopted on this motherboard contains Perchlorate, a toxic substance
controlled in Perchlorate Best Management Practices (BMP) regulations passed by the
California Legislature. When you discard the Lithium battery in California, USA, please
follow the related regulations in advance.
“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate”
ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com
Published December 2011
Copyright©2011 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
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Motherboard Layout
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1 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN2)
2 Power Fan Connector (PWR_FAN1)
3 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
4 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
5 1155-Pin CPU Socket
6 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots
(DDR3_A1, DDR3_B1, Black)
7 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots
(DDR3_A2, DDR3_B2, Black)
8 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
9 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_12_13, Black)
10 Intel Z77 Chipset
11 SPI Flash Memory (64Mb)
12 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_A0_A1, Gray)
13 SATA3 Connectors (SATA3_0_1, Gray)
14 SATA2 Connectors (SATA2_2_3, Black)
15 Clear CMOS Jumper (CLRCMOS1)
16 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1, Black)
17 Power LED Header (PLED1)
18 System Panel Header (PANEL1, Black)
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
19 Infrared Module Header (IR1)
20 SATA2 Connector (SATA2_5, Black)
21 SATA2 Connector (SATA2_4, Black)
22 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
23 USB 2.0 Header (USB_10_11, Black)
24 USB 2.0 Header (USB_8_9, Black)
25 USB 2.0 Header (USB_6_7, Black)
26 Consumer Infrared Module Header
(CIR1, Gray)
27 COM Port Header (COM1)
28 Print Port Header (LPT1)
29 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE4, Black)
30 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3, Black)
31 PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot (PCIE2, Black)
32 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1, Black)
33 Front Panel Audio Header
(HD_AUDIO1, Black)
34 HDMI_SPDIF Header
(HDMI_SPDIF1, Black)
35 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2)
I/O Panel
1
2
3
4
5
7
6
8
9
15
1 USB 2.0 Ports (USB01)
2 D-Sub Port (VGA1)
3 USB 2.0 Ports (USB23)
* 4 LAN RJ-45 Port
5 Central / Bass (Orange)
6 Rear Speaker (Black)
7 Line In (Light Blue)
** 8 Front Speaker (Lime)
* There are two LED next to the LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED
indications.
Activity/Link LED SPEED LED
Status Description Status Description
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LAN Port LED Indications
13
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9 Microphone (Pink)
10 Optical SPDIF Out Port
11 USB 3.0 Ports (USB45)
*** 12 eSATA3 Connector
13 HDMI Port (HDMI1)
14 DVI-D Port (DVI1)
15 PS/2 Keyboard Port (Purple)
11
ACT/LINK
LED
10
SPEED
LED
Off No Link Off 10Mbps connection
Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
LAN Port
If you use 2-channel speaker, please connect the speaker’s plug into “Front Speaker Jack”.
**
See the table below for connection details in accordance with the type of speaker you use.
TABLE for Audio Output Connection
Audio Output Channels Front Speaker Rear Speaker Central / Bass Line in
(No. 8) (No. 6) (No. 5) (No. 7)
2 V -- -- -4 V V -- -6 V V V -8 V V V V
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To enable Multi-Streaming function, you need to connect a front panel audio cable to the front
panel audio header. After restarting your computer, you will nd “Mixer” tool on your system.
Please select “Mixer ToolBox” , click “Enable playback multi-streaming”, and click
“ok”. Choose “2CH”, “4CH”, “6CH”, or “8CH” and then you are allowed to select “Realtek HDA
Primary output” to use Rear Speaker, Central/Bass, and Front Speaker, or select “Realtek HDA
Audio 2nd output” to use front panel audio.
*** eSATA3 connector supports SATA Gen3 in cable 1M.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M motherboard, a reliable motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently stringent quality control. It delivers
excellent performance with robust design conforming to ASRock’s commitment to
quality and endurance.
This Quick Installation Guide contains introduction of the motherboard and step-bystep installation guide. More detailed information of the motherboard can be found
in the user manual presented in the Support CD.
Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS software might be
updated, the content of this manual will be subject to change without no-
tice. In case any modications of this manual occur, the updated version
will be available on ASRock website without further notice. You may nd
the latest VGA cards and CPU support lists on ASRock website as well.
ASRock website http://www.asrock.com
If you require technical support related to this motherboard, please visit
our website for specic information about the model you are using.
www.asrock.com/support/index.asp
1.1 Package Contents
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
(Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 9.6-in, 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm)
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Quick Installation Guide
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Support CD
2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
1 x I/O Panel Shield
1 x ASRock SLI_Bridge Card
ASRock Reminds You...
To get better performance in Windows® 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista
bit, it is recommended to set the BIOS option in Storage Conguration to
AHCI mode. For the BIOS setup, please refer to the “User Manual” in our
support CD for details.
TM
/ VistaTM 64-
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
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1.2 Specifications
Platform - Micro ATX Form Factor: 9.6-in x 9.6-in, 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm
- Premium Gold Capacitor design (100% Japan-made
high-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors)
CPU - Supports 3rd and 2nd Generation Intel® CoreTM i7 / i5 / i3 in
LGA1155 Package
- Digi Power Design
- 4 + 2 Power Phase Design
- Supports Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
- Supports Intel® K-Series unlocked CPU
- Supports Hyper-Threading Technology (see CAUTION 1)
- Supports Intel® Rapid Start Technology and Smart Connect
Technology with Intel® Ivy Bridge CPU
Chipset - Intel® Z77
Memory - Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology (see CAUTION 2)
- 4 x DDR3 DIMM slots
- Supports DDR3 2800+(OC)/2400(OC)/2133(OC)/1866(OC)/
1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory
- Max. capacity of system memory: 32GB (see CAUTION 3)
- Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Prole (XMP)1.3/1.2
Expansion Slot - 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (PCIE1/PCIE3: single at x16
(PCIE1) / x8 (PCIE3) or dual at x8/x8 mode)
(see CAUTION 4)
* PCIE 3.0 is only supported with Intel® Ivy Bridge CPU. With
Intel® Sandy Bridge CPU, it only supports PCIE 2.0.
- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (PCIE4: x4 mode)
- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x 1 slot
- Supports AMD Quad CrossFireXTM, 3-Way CrossFireXTM
and CrossFireX
- Supports NVIDIA® Quad SLITM and SLI
Graphics * Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs can
be supported only with processors which are GPU
integrated.
- Supports Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals: Intel® Quick
Sync Video, Intel® InTruTM 3D, Intel® Clear Video HD
Technology, Intel® InsiderTM, Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000,
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
- Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 11 with Intel® Ivy Bridge CPU.
Pixel Shader 4.1, DirectX 10.1 with Intel® Sandy Bridge CPU
- Max. shared memory 1760MB (see CAUTION 5)
TM
TM
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
- Three VGA Output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI
(see CAUTION 6)
- Supports HDMI 1.4a Technology with max. resolution up to
1920x1200 @ 60Hz
- Supports DVI with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
- Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 @
75Hz
- Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and
HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI (Compliant HDMI
monitor is required) (see CAUTION 7)
- Supports HDCP function with DVI and HDMI ports
- Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) / HD-DVD playback
with DVI and HDMI ports
Audio - 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection
(Realtek ALC898 Audio Codec)
- Premium Blu-ray audio support
- Supports THX TruStudio
TM
LAN - PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
- Realtek RTL8111E
- Supports Wake-On-LAN
- Supports LAN Cable Detection
- Supports Energy Efcient Ethernet 802.3az
- Supports PXE
Rear Panel I/O I/O Panel
- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port
- 1 x D-Sub Port
- 1 x DVI-D Port
- 1 x HDMI Port
- 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
- 4 x Ready-to-Use USB 2.0 Ports
- 1 x eSATA3 Connector
- 2 x Ready-to-Use USB 3.0 Ports
- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
- HD Audio Jack: Rear Speaker/Central/Bass/Line in/Front
Speaker/Microphone (see CAUTION 8)
SATA 3 - 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors by Intel® Z77, support RAID
(RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage and
Intel Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and Hot
Plug functions
- 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors by ASMedia ASM1061,
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support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug functions
(SATA3_A1 connector is shared with eSATA3 port)
USB3.0 - 2 x Rear USB 3.0 ports, support USB 1.0/2.0/3.0 up to
5Gb/s
- 1 x Front USB 3.0 header (supports 2 USB 3.0 ports),
supports USB 1.0/2.0/3.0 up to 5Gb/s
Connector - 4 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage and Intel
Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
functions
- 1 x IR header
- 1 x CIR header
- 1 x Print port header
- 1 x COM port header
- 1 x HDMI_SPDIF header
- 1 x Power LED header
- CPU/Chassis/Power FAN connector
- 24 pin ATX power connector
- 8 pin 12V power connector
- Front panel audio connector
- 3 x USB 2.0 headers (support 6 USB 2.0 ports)
- 1 x USB 3.0 header (supports 2 USB 3.0 ports)
BIOS Feature - 64Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support
- Supports “Plug and Play”
- ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events
- Supports jumperfree
- SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support
- CPU Core, IGPU, DRAM, 1.8V PLL, VTT, VCCSA Voltage
Multi-adjustment
Support CD - Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version),
CyberLink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, ASRock MAGIX
Multimedia Suite - OEM
Unique Feature - ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU) (see CAUTION 9)
- ASRock Instant Boot
- ASRock Instant Flash (see CAUTION 10)
- ASRock APP Charger (see CAUTION 11)
- ASRock SmartView (see CAUTION 12)
- ASRock XFast USB (see CAUTION 13)
- ASRock XFast LAN (see CAUTION 14)
- ASRock XFast RAM (see CAUTION 15)
- 4 x SATA3 6.0Gb/s connectors
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
- ASRock Crashless BIOS (see CAUTION 16)
- Lucid Virtu Universal MVP (see CAUTION 17)
* Lucid Virtu Universal MVP can be supported only with
processors which are GPU integrated.
- Hybrid Booster:
- CPU Frequency Stepless Control (see CAUTION 18)
- ASRock U-COP (see CAUTION 19)
- Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.)
- Combo Cooler Option (C.C.O.) (see CAUTION 20)
- Good Night LED
Hardware - CPU Temperature Sensing
Monitor - Chassis Temperature Sensing
- CPU/Chassis/Power Fan Tachometer
- CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Allows Chassis Fan Speed Auto Adjust by CPU Temperature)
- CPU/Chassis Fan Multi-Speed Control
- Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore
OS - Microsoft® Windows® 7 / 7 64-bit / VistaTM / VistaTM 64-bit /
XP / XP 64-bit compliant (see CAUTION 21)
Certications - FCC, CE, WHQL
- ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
(see CAUTION 22)
* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com
WARNING
Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking, including
adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking Technology, or using
third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may affect your system’s stability, or
even cause damage to the components and devices of your system. It should be
done at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible damage
caused by overclocking.
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
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CAUTION!
1. About the settings of “Hyper Threading Technology”, please check page
59 of the “User Manual” in the support CD.
2. This motherboard supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. Before
you implement Dual Channel Memory Technology, make sure to read the
installation guide of memory modules on page 17 for proper installation.
3. Due to the operating system limitation, the actual memory size may be
less than 4GB for the reservation for system usage under Windows® 7 /
VistaTM / XP. For Windows® OS with 64-bit CPU, there is no such limitation. You can use ASRock XFast RAM to utilize the memory that Windows® cannot use.
4. Only PCIE1 and PCIE3 slots support Gen 3 speed. To run the PCI Express in Gen 3 speed, please install an Ivy Bridge CPU. If you install a
Sandy Bridge CPU, the PCI Express will run only at PCI Express Gen 2
speed.
5. The maximum shared memory size is dened by the chipset vendor and
is subject to change. Please check Intel® website for the latest information.
6. You can choose to use two of the three monitors only. D-Sub, DVI-D and
HDMI monitors cannot be enabled at the same time. Besides, with the
DVI-to-HDMI adapter, the DVI-D port can support the same features as
the HDMI port.
7. xvYCC and Deep Color are only supported under Windows® 7 64-bit /
7. Deep Color mode will be enabled only if the display supports 12bpc
in EDID. HBR is supported under Windows® 7 64-bit / 7 / VistaTM 64-bit /
VistaTM.
8. For microphone input, this motherboard supports both stereo and mono
modes. For audio output, this motherboard supports 2-channel, 4-channel, 6-channel, and 8-channel modes. Please check the table on page 3
for proper connection.
9. ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU) is an all-in-one tool to ne-tune different system functions in a user-friendly interface, which includes Hardware Monitor, Fan Control, Overclocking, OC DNA and IES. In Hardware
Monitor, it shows the major readings of your system. In Fan Control, it
shows the fan speed and temperature for you to adjust. In Overclocking,
you are allowed to overclock CPU frequency for optimal system per-
formance. In OC DNA, you can save your OC settings as a prole and
share it with your friends. Your friends then can load the OC prole to
their own system to get the same OC settings. In IES (Intelligent Energy
Saver), the voltage regulator can reduce the number of output phases to
improve efciency when the CPU cores are idle without sacricing computing performance. Please visit our website for the operation procedures
of ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU).
ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com
10. ASRock Instant Flash is a BIOS ash utility embedded in Flash ROM.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
This convenient BIOS update tool allows you to update system BIOS
without entering operating systems rst like MS-DOS or Windows®. With
this utility, you can press the <F6> key during the POST or the <F2>
key to enter into the BIOS setup menu to access ASRock Instant Flash.
Just launch this tool and save the new BIOS le to your USB ash drive,
oppy disk or hard drive, then you can update your BIOS only in a few
clicks without preparing an additional oppy diskette or other complicated
ash utility. Please be noted that the USB ash drive or hard drive must
use FAT32/16/12 le system.
11. If you desire a faster, less restricted way of charging your Apple devices,
such as iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, ASRock has prepared a wonderful solution for you - ASRock APP Charger. Simply install the APP Charger driver, it makes your iPhone charge much quickly from your computer and
up to 40% faster than before. ASRock APP Charger allows you to quickly
charge many Apple devices simultaneously and even supports continuous charging when your PC enters into Standby mode (S1), Suspend to
RAM (S3), hibernation mode (S4) or power off (S5). With APP Charger
driver installed, you can easily enjoy the marvelous charging experience.
ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com/Feature/AppCharger/index.asp
12. ASRock SmartView, a new function for internet browsers, is the smart
start page for IE that combines your most visited web sites, your history,
your Facebook friends and your real-time newsfeed into an enhanced
view for a more personal Internet experience. ASRock motherboards are
exclusively equipped with the ASRock SmartView utility that helps you
keep in touch with friends on-the-go. To use ASRock SmartView feature,
please make sure your OS version is Windows® 7 / 7 64 bit / VistaTM /
VistaTM 64 bit, and your browser version is IE8.
ASRock website: http://www.asrock.com/Feature/SmartView/index.asp
13. ASRock XFast USB can boost USB storage device performance. The
performance may depend on the properties of the device.
14. ASRock XFast LAN provides a faster internet access, which includes
the benets listed below. LAN Application Prioritization: You can congure your application’s priority ideally and/or add new programs. Lower
Latency in Game: After setting online game’s priority higher, it can lower
the latency in games. Trafc Shaping: You can watch Youtube HD videos
and download simultaneously. Real-Time Analysis of Your Data: With
the status window, you can easily recognize which data streams you are
transferring currently.
15. ASRock XFast RAM is a new function that is included into ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility (AXTU). It fully utilizes the memory space that cannot
be used under Windows® OS 32-bit CPU. ASRock XFast RAM shortens
the loading time of previously visited websites, making web surng faster
than ever. And it also boosts the speed of Adobe Photoshop 5 times
faster. Another advantage of ASRock XFast RAM is that it reduces the
frequency of accessing your SSDs or HDDs in order to extend their lifespan.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
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16. ASRock Crashless BIOS allows users to update their BIOS without fear
of failing. If power loss occurs during the BIOS update process, ASRock
Crashless BIOS will automatically nish the BIOS update procedure after
regaining power. Please note that BIOS les need to be placed in the root
directory of your USB disk. Only USB2.0 ports support this feature.
17. VIRTU Universal MVP includes the base features of Virtu Universal
technology, which virtualizes integrated GPU and discrete GPU for best
of breed functionality. It also features Virtual Vsync™ for no-compromise
visual quality. With the added benefits of HyperFormance technology,
VIRTU Universal MVP improves game performance by intelligently reduc-
ing redundant rendering tasks in the ow between the CPU, GPU and the
display.
18. Although this motherboard offers stepless control, it is not recommended
to perform over-clocking. Frequencies other than the recommended CPU
bus frequencies may cause instability of the system or damage the CPU.
19. While CPU overheat is detected, the system will automatically shutdown.
Before you resume the system, please check if the CPU fan on the motherboard functions properly and unplug the power cord, then plug it back
again. To improve heat dissipation, remember to spray thermal grease
between the CPU and the heatsink when you install the PC system.
20. Combo Cooler Option (C.C.O.) provides the exible option to adopt three
different CPU cooler types, Socket LGA 775, LGA 1155 and LGA 1156.
Please be noticed that not all the 775 and 1156 CPU Fan can be used.
21. ASRock XFast RAM is not supported by Microsoft® Windows® XP / XP
64-bit. Intel® Smart Connect Technology and Intel® USB 3.0 ports are not
supported by Microsoft® Windows® VistaTM / VistaTM 64-bit / XP / XP 64bit.
22. EuP stands for Energy Using Product, was a provision regulated by the
European Union to define the power consumption for the completed
system. According to EuP, the total AC power of the completed system
should be under 1.00W in off mode condition. To meet EuP standards,
an EuP ready motherboard and an EuP ready power supply are required.
According to Intel’s suggestion, the EuP ready power supply must meet
the standard of 5v, and the standby power efciency should be higher
than 50% under 100 mA current consumption. For EuP ready power supply selection, we recommend you to check with the power supply manufacturer for more details.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
Chapter 2: Installation
This is a micro ATX form factor (9.6" x 9.6", 24.4 x 24.4 cm) motherboard. Before
you install the motherboard, study the conguration of your chassis to ensure that
the motherboard ts into it.
motherboard. Failure to do so may cause physical injuries to you and
damages to motherboard components.
Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the
2.1 Screw Holes
Place screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the
chassis.
Do not over-tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.
2.2 Pre-installation Precautions
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components
or change any motherboard settings.
1. Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any
components.
2. To avoid damaging the motherboard’s components due to static
electricity, NEVER place your motherboard directly on the carpet
or the like. Also remember to use a grounded wrist strap or touch a
safety grounded object before you handle the components.
3. Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.
4. Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that comes with the component.
5. When placing screws into the screw holes to secure the motherboard to the chassis, please do not over-tighten the screws! Doing
so may damage the motherboard.
Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the power is
switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do
so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals, and/or
components.
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2.3 CPU Installation
For the installation of Intel 1155-Pin CPU,
please follow the steps below.
Before you insert the 1155-Pin CPU into the socket, please check if the
CPU surface is unclean or if there are any bent pins in the socket. Do
not force to insert the CPU into the socket if above situation is found.
Otherwise, the CPU will be seriously damaged.
Step 1. Open the socket:
Step 1-1. Disengage the lever by pressing it
down and sliding it out of the hook.
Step 1-2. Keep the lever positioned at about
135 degrees in order to flip up the
load plate.
1155-Pin Socket Overview
English
Step 2. Remove the PnP Cap (Pick and Place Cap).
1. It is recommended to use the cap tab to handle and avoid kicking
off the PnP cap.
2. This cap must be placed if returning the motherboard for after
service.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
Step 3. Insert the 1155-Pin CPU:
Step 3-1. Hold the CPU by the edge which is
marked with a black line.
Step 3-2. Orient the CPU with the IHS (Inte-
grated Heat Sink) up. Locate Pin1
and the two orientation key notches.
orientation key notch
Pin1
orientation key notch 1155-Pin Socket
1155-Pin CPU
For proper inserting, please ensure to match the two orientation key
notches of the CPU with the two alignment keys of the socket.
Step 3-3. Carefully place the CPU into the
socket by using a purely vertical motion.
Step 3-4. Verify that the CPU is within the sock-
et and properly mated to the orient
keys.
black line
alignment key
Pin1
alignment key
Step 4. Close the socket:
Step 4-1. Flip the load plate onto the IHS.
Step 4-2. Press down the load lever, and se-
cure it with the load plate tab under
the retention tab.
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2.4 Installation of CPU Fan and Heatsink
This motherboard is equipped with 1155-Pin socket that supports Intel 1155-Pin
CPUs. Please adopt the type of heatsink and cooling fan compliant with Intel 1155Pin CPU to dissipate heat. Before you install the heatsink, you need to spray thermal interface material between the CPU and the heatsink to improve heat dissipation. Ensure that the CPU and the heatsink are securely fastened and in good contact with each other. Then connect the CPU fan to the CPU_FAN connector (CPU_
FAN1, see page 2, No. 3 or CPU_FAN2, see page 2. No.1).
For proper installation, please kindly refer to the instruction manuals of your
CPU fan and heatsink.
Below is an example to illustrate the installation of the heatsink for 1155-Pin CPUs.
Step 1. Apply thermal interface material onto the cen-
ter of the IHS on the socket’s surface.
Step 2. Place the heatsink onto the socket. Ensure
that the fan cables are oriented on side closest
to the CPU fan connector on the motherboard
(CPU_FAN1, see page 2, No. 3 or CPU_
FAN2, see page 2. No.1).
Step 3. Align fasteners with the motherboard through-
holes.
Step 4. Rotate the fastener clockwise, then press
down on fastener caps with thumb to install
and lock. Repeat with remaining fasteners.
English
If you press down the fasteners without rotating them clockwise, the
heatsink cannot be secured on the motherboard.
Step 5. Connect fan header with the CPU fan connector on the motherboard.
Step 6. Secure redundant cable with tie-wrap to ensure the cable does not
interfere with fan operation or contact other components.
Please be noticed that this motherboard supports Combo Cooler
Option (C.C.O.), which provides exible options to adopt three different CPU cooler types, Socket LGA 775, LGA 1155 and LGA 1156.
The white throughholes are for Socket LGA
1155/1156 CPU fan.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
2.5 Installation of Memory Modules (DIMM)
This motherboard provides four 240-pin DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) DIMM
slots, and supports Dual Channel Memory Technology. For dual channel conguration, you always need to install identical (the same brand, speed, size
and chip-type) DDR3 DIMM pair in the slots: You have to install identical
DDR3 DIMMs in Dual Channel A (DDR3_A1 and DDR3_B1; Black slots; see p.2
No. 6) or identical DDR3 DIMMs in Dual Channel B (DDR3_A2 and DDR3_
B2; Black slots; see p.2 No. 7), so that Dual Channel Memory Technology can
be activated. This motherboard also allows you to install four DDR3 DIMMs
for dual channel conguration, please install identical DDR3 DIMMs in all four
slots. You may refer to the Dual Channel Memory Conguration Table below.
Dual Channel Memory Conguration
DDR3_A1 DDR3_A2 DDR3_B1 DDR3_B2
(Black Slot) (Black Slot) (Black Slot) (Black Slot)
(1) Populated - Populated (2) - Populated - Populated
(3)* Populated Populated Populated Populated
* For conguration (3), please install identical DDR3 DIMMs in all four
slots.
1. If you want to install two memory modules, for optimal compatibility
and reliability, it is recommended to install them in the slots: DDR3_
A1 and DDR3_B1, or DDR3_A2 and DDR3_B2.
2. If only one memory module or three memory modules are installed
in the DDR3 DIMM slots on this motherboard, it is unable to activate
Dual Channel Memory Technology.
3. If a pair of memory modules is NOT installed in the same Dual
Channel, for example, installing a pair of memory modules in
DDR3_A1 and DDR3_A2, it is unable to activate Dual Channel
Memory Technology.
4. It is not allowed to install a DDR or DDR2 memory module into
DDR3 slot; otherwise, this motherboard and DIMM may be damaged.
5. Some DDR3 1GB double-sided DIMMs with 16 chips may not work
on this motherboard. It is not recommended to install them on this
motherboard.
6. For optimal compatibility and stability while overclocking memory
frequency, it is recommended to install one memory module in
DDR3_B2 slot or two memory modules in DDR3_A2 and DDR3_B2
slots.
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Installing a DIMM
Please make sure to disconnect power supply before adding or
removing DIMMs or the system components.
Step 1. Unlock a DIMM slot by pressing the retaining clips outward.
Step 2. Align a DIMM on the slot such that the notch on the DIMM matches the
break on the slot.
The DIMM only ts in one correct orientation. It will cause permanent
damage to the motherboard and the DIMM if you force the DIMM into
the slot in incorrect orientation.
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Step 3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the slot until the retaining clips at both ends
fully snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
2.6 Expansion Slots (PCI Express Slots)
There are 4 PCI Express slots on this motherboard.
PCIE slots: PCIE1 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width
graphics cards, or to install PCI Express graphics cards to support
CrossFireXTM or SLITM function.
PCIE2 (PCIE 2.0 x1 slot) is used for a PCI Express x1 lane width card,
such as a Gigabit LAN card or SATA2 card, etc.
PCIE3 (PCIE 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x8 lane width graph-
ics cards, or to install PCI Express graphics cards to support CrossFireXTM or SLITM function.
PCIE4 (PCIE 2.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x4 lane width graph-
ics cards, or to install PCI Express graphics cards to support 3-Way
CrossFireXTM, and for installing ASRock Game Blaster.
1. In single VGA card mode, it is recommended to install a PCI Express
x16 graphics card on PCIE1 slot.
2. In CrossFireXTM mode or SLITM mode, please install the PCI Express
x16 graphics cards on PCIE1 and PCIE3 slots. Therefore, PCIE1 will
work at x8 bandwidth, while PCIE3 works at x8 bandwidth.
3. In 3-Way CrossFireXTM mode, please install PCI Express x16
graphics cards on PCIE1, PCIE3 and PCIE4 slots. Therefore, PCIE1
and PCIE3 slots will work at x8 bandwidth while PCIE4 slot will work
at x4 bandwidth.
4. Please connect a chassis fan to the motherboard’s chassis fan
connector (CHA_FAN1 or CHA_FAN2) when using multiple
graphics cards for better thermal environment.
5. Only PCIE1 and PCIE3 slots support Gen 3 speed. To run the PCI
Express in Gen 3 speed, please install an Ivy Bridge CPU. If you
install a Sandy Bridge CPU, the PCI Express will run only at PCI
Express Gen 2 speed.
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Installing an expansion card
Step 1. Before installing an expansion card, please make sure that the power
supply is switched off or the power cord is unplugged. Please read the
documentation of the expansion card and make necessary hardware
settings for the card before you start the installation.
Step 2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed
in a chassis).
Step 3. Remove the bracket facing the slot that you intend to use. Keep the
screws for later use.
Step 4. Align the card connector with the slot and press rmly until the card is
completely seated on the slot.
Step 5. Fasten the card to the chassis with screws.
Step 6. Replace the system cover.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
2.7 SLITM and Quad SLI
TM
Operation Guide
This motherboard supports NVIDIA® SLITM and Quad SLITM (Scalable Link Interface)
technology that allows you to install up to two identical PCI Express x16 graphics
cards. Currently, NVIDIA® SLITM technology supports Windows® XP / XP 64-bit /
VistaTM / VistaTM 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS. NVIDIA® Quad SLITM technology supports
Windows® VistaTM / VistaTM 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS only. Please follow the installation
procedures in this section.
Requirements
1. For SLITM technology, you should have two identical SLITM-ready graphics
cards that are NVIDIA® certied. For Quad SLI technology, you should have
two identical Quad SLI ready graphics cards (dual-GPU on each graphics
card) that are NVIDIA certied.
2. Make sure that your graphics card driver supports NVIDIA® SLITM technology.
Download the driver from NVIDIA® website (www.nvidia.com).
3. Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least the
minimum power required by your system. It is recommended to use NVIDIA®
certied PSU. Please refer to NVIDIA® website for details.
2.7.1 Graphics Card Setup
2.7.1.1 Installing Two SLITM-Ready Graphics Cards
Step 1. Install the identical SLITM-ready graphics cards that are NVIDIA® certied
because different types of graphics cards will not work together properly.
(Even the GPU chips version shall be the same.) Insert one graphics card
into PCIE1 slot and the other graphics card to PCIE3 slot. Make sure that
the cards are properly seated on the slots.
Step2. If required, connect the auxiliary power source to the PCI Express
graphics cards.
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Step3. Align and insert the ASRock SLI_Bridge Card to the goldngers on each
graphics card. Make sure the ASRock SLI_Bridge Card is rmly in place.
ASRock SLI_Bridge Card
Step4. Connect a VGA cable or a DVI cable to the monitor connector or the DVI
connector of the graphics card that is inserted to PCIE1 slot.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
2.7.2 Driver Installation and Setup
Install the graphics card drivers to your system. After that, you can enable the MultiGraphics Processing Unit (GPU) feature in the NVIDIA® nView system tray utility.
Please follow the below procedures to enable the multi-GPU feature.
For Windows® XP / XP 64-bit OS:
(For SLITM mode only)
A. Double-click NVIDIA Settings icon on your Windows® taskbar.
B. From the pop-up menu, select Set SLI and PhysX conguration. In
Set PhysX GPU acceleration item, please select Enabled. In Select
an SLI conguration item, please select Enable SLI. And click Apply.
C. Reboot your system.
D. You can freely enjoy the benets of SLITM.
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For Windows® VistaTM / VistaTM 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit OS:
(For SLITM and Quad SLITM mode)
A. Click the Start icon on your Windows taskbar.
B. From the pop-up menu, select All Programs, and then click NVIDIA
Corporation.
C. Select NVIDIA Control Panel tab.
D. Select Control Panel tab.
E. From the pop-up menu, select Set SLI and PhysX conguration. In
Set PhysX GPU acceleration item, please select Enabled. In Select
an SLI conguration item, please select Enable SLI. And click Apply.
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F. Reboot your system.
G. You can freely enjoy the benets of SLITM or Quad SLITM.
* SLITM appearing here is a registered trademark of NVIDIA® Technologies Inc., and is used
only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
2.8 CrossFireXTM, 3-Way CrossFireXTM and Quad CrossFireXTM
Operation Guide
This motherboard supports CrossFireXTM, 3-way CrossFireX
CrossFireXTM. CrossFireXTM technology offers the most advantageous means
available of combining multiple high performance Graphics Processing Units (GPU)
in a single PC. Combining a range of different operating modes with intelligent
software design and an innovative interconnect mechanism, CrossFireXTM enables
the highest possible level of performance and image quality in any 3D application.
Currently CrossFireXTM is supported by Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 / VistaTM
/ 7 OS. 3-way CrossFireXTM and Quad CrossFireXTM are supported by Windows®
VistaTM / 7 OS only. Please check AMD’s website for AMD CrossFireXTM driver
updates.
1. If a customer incorrectly congures their system they will not see the performance
benets of CrossFireXTM. All three CrossFireXTM components, a CrossFireXTM
Ready graphics card, a CrossFireXTM Ready motherboard and a CrossFireXTM
Edition co-processor graphics card, must be installed correctly to benet from the
CrossFireXTM multi-GPU platform.
2. If you pair a 12-pipe CrossFireXTM Edition card with a 16-pipe card, both cards
will operate as 12-pipe cards while in CrossFireXTM mode.
TM
and Quad
2.8.1 Graphics Card Setup
2.8.1.1 Installing Two CrossFireXTM-Ready Graphics Cards
Different CrossFireXTM cards may require different methods to enable CrossFireXTM
feature. For other CrossFireXTM cards that AMD has released or will release in the
future, please refer to AMD graphics card manuals for detailed installation guide.
Step 1. Insert one Radeon graphics card into PCIE1 slot and the other Radeon
graphics card to PCIE3 slot. Make sure that the cards are properly seated
on the slots.
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Step 2. Connect two Radeon graphics cards by installing a CrossFire Bridge on
the CrossFire Bridge Interconnects on the top of the Radeon graphics
cards. (The CrossFire Bridge is provided with the graphics card you purchase, not bundled with this motherboard. Please refer to your graphics
card vendor for details.)
CrossFire Bridge
or
Step 3. Connect the DVI monitor cable to the DVI connector on the Radeon graph-
ics card on PCIE1 slot. (You may use the DVI to D-Sub adapter to convert
the DVI connector to D-Sub interface, and then connect the D-Sub monitor
cable to the DVI to D-Sub adapter.)
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
2.8.1.2 Installing Three CrossFireXTM-Ready Graphics Cards
Step 1. Install the identical 3-Way CrossFireXTM-ready graphics cards that are
AMD certied because different types of graphics cards will not work together properly. (Even the GPU chips version shall be the same.) Insert
one graphics card into PCIE1 slot, another graphics card to PCIE3 slot,
and the other graphics card to PCIE4 slot. Make sure that the cards are
properly seated on the slots.
TM
Step 4. Use one CrossFire
and PCIE3 slots, and use the other CrossFireTM Bridge to connect Radeon
graphics cards on PCIE3 and PCIE4 slots. (CrossFireTM Bridge is provided
with the graphics card you purchase, not bundled with this motherboard.
Please refer to your graphics card vendor for details.)
Bridge to connect Radeon graphics cards on PCIE1
CrossFireTM Bridge
Step 5. Connect the DVI monitor cable to the DVI connector on the Radeon graph-
ics card on PCIE1 slot. (You may use the DVI to D-Sub adapter to convert
the DVI connector to D-Sub interface, and then connect the D-Sub monitor
cable to the DVI to D-Sub adapter.)
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2.8.2 Driver Installation and Setup
Step 1. Power on your computer and boot into OS.
Step 2. Remove the AMD drivers if you have any VGA drivers installed in your
system.
The Catalyst Uninstaller is an optional download. We recommend using this utility to
uninstall any previously installed Catalyst drivers prior to installation. Please check
AMD’s website for AMD driver updates.
Step 3. Install the required drivers to your system.
For Windows® XP OS:
A. AMD recommends Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or higher to be
installed (If you have Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or higher installed
in your system, there is no need to download it again):
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/default.mspx
B. You must have Microsoft .NET Framework installed prior to
downloading and installing the CATALYST Control Center. Please
check Microsoft’s website for details.
For Windows® 7 / VistaTM OS:
Install the CATALYST Control Center. Please check AMD’s website for de-
tails.
Step 4. Restart your computer.
Step 5. Install the VGA card drivers to your system, and restart your computer.
You will nd “AMD Catalyst Control Center” on your Windows® taskbar.
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AMD Catalyst Control Center
Step 6. Double-click “AMD Catalyst Control Center”. Click “View”, select “CrossFi-
TM
”, and then check the item “Enable CrossFireXTM”. Select “2 GPUs”
reX
and click “Apply” (if you install two Radeon graphics cards). Select “3
GPUs” and click “OK” (if you install three Radeon graphics cards).
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
Although you have selected the option “Enable CrossFireTM”, the CrossFireXTM
function may not work actually. Your computer will automatically reboot. After
restarting your computer, please conrm whether the option “Enable CrossFireTM” in
“AMD Catalyst Control Center” is selected or not; if not, please select it again, and
then you are able to enjoy the benets of CrossFireXTM.
Step 7. You can freely enjoy the benets of CrossFireXTM, 3-Way CrossFireXTM or
Quad CrossFireXTM.
* CrossFireXTM appearing here is a registered trademark of AMD Technologies Inc., and is used
only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
* For further information of AMD CrossFireXTM technology, please check AMD’s website for
updates and details.
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2.9 Dual Monitor and Surround Display Features
Dual Monitor Feature
This motherboard supports dual monitor feature. With the internal VGA output sup-
port (DVI-D, D-Sub and HDMI), you can easily enjoy the benets of dual monitor
feature without installing any add-on VGA cards to this motherboard. This motherboard also provides independent display controllers for DVI-D, D-Sub and HDMI to
support dual VGA output so that DVI-D, D-sub and HDMI can drive same or different
display contents.
To enable dual monitor feature, please follow the steps below:
1. Connect a DVI-D monitor cable to the DVI-D port on the I/O panel, connect a
D-Sub monitor cable to the D-Sub port on the I/O panel and connect a HDMI
monitor cable to the HDMI port on the I/O panel.
D-Sub port
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DVI-D port
2. If you have already installed the onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your
system, you can freely enjoy the benets of dual monitor function after your
system boots. If you haven’t installed the onboard VGA driver yet, please install
the onboard VGA driver from our support CD to your system and restart your
computer.
D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI monitors cannot be enabled at the same time.
You can only choose the combination: DVI-D + HDMI, DVI-D + D-Sub,
or HDMI + D-Sub.
HDMI port
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ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
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